Giants 8, Braves 2
W: Matt Cain (2-2) L: Tim Hudson (4-2)
How They Scored:
Bottom 4: Buster Posey RBI Double; Hunter Pence RBI Single; Brandon Belt RBI Double; Matt Cain RBI Single; Marco Scutaro 2-RBI Single
Top 5: Brian McCann 2-Run Home Run (2)
Bottom 6: Angel Pagan 2-Run Home Run (2)
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The Atlanta Braves‘ hot start to the season has received plenty of attention due to the offensive output of offseason acquisition Justin Upton and Evan Gattis, who has backed up the spring training hype with a strong start.
But on Friday night at Nationals Park, it was the role players who stepped up and made key plays in the Braves’ 6-4 comeback win over the Nationals.
The battle of NL East titans began with the Nationals getting out to a strong start by way of a Bryce Harper two-run homer in the first and RBI singles by Jayson Werth and Denard Span in the second.
With Ross Detweiler hurling a gem on the mound for the hosts, the chances of a Braves comeback were slim to none, until the seventh inning began.
Although it was just a single run, Chris Johnson gave the Braves a sense of belief with his first home run of the season.
The eighth inning brought the Nationals bullpen into the game as the usually reliable Tyler Clippard took the rubber.
The Braves were able to pull back another run in the eighth due to a quality that they may not have been known for at the beginning of the season—their patience.
Gattis, Jason Heyward and B.J. Upton worked their at-bats into walks with Upton’s free pass bringing home Heyward.
The true superstars of the team then took a step back in the ninth inning as Ramiro Pena and Blake DeWitt dropped down two consecutive pinch-hit bunts.
Pena, who hit for starting catcher Gerald Laird, laid down a perfect bunt in front of home plate on the third base side to become the second batter to reach base against Drew Storen in the ninth.
DeWitt then came to the plate to pinch hit for reliever Jordan Walden and dropped down an immaculate sacrifice that sent Johnson to third and Pena to second.
Without those two crucial bunts the Braves would not have been able to capitalize on Ryan Zimmerman’s error three batters later.
After one of the unsung heroes of the bullpen, Eric O’Flaherty, shut down the Nationals in the bottom of the ninth, the most unexpected of at-bats occurred in the top of the 10th inning.
Pena, who had 12 at-bats this season going into Friday, delivered the 14th home run of his nine-year professional career with a shot over the right field wall.
Pena’s two-run, game-winning home run sent the Braves dugout into an absolute uproar. The home run also marked the end of an unlikely comeback that sent shock waves throughout the Washington D.C. metro area and the entire nation.
There are few things that we can predict throughout the course of the season, but if the role players continue to step up for Atlanta this season, a spot in the postseason is close to a guarantee.
Follow me on Twitter, @JTansey90.
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In honor of one of the best pitching matchups in NLCS history between the Phillies and Giants starting Saturday night, here are 10 matchups that had the same amount of hype that Halladay-Lincecum, Oswalt-Cain and Hamels-Sanchez provide.
In the past 20 years, many matchups have gotten hype. The most memorable hype for a series had to have been in 2001 when the Diamondbacks and Braves battled it out with five future Hall of Famers,
This list focuses only on individual game pitching matchups.
Yes, I had this exact reaction when I saw the All-Star rosters when they were released on Sunday and I am sure I am not the only person who had the same reaction I did.
I understand that NL manager Charlie Manuel wants versatility in case of injury or if he runs out of players, which is impossible, but seriously why Omar Infante?
There are many players that are more deserving than Infante.
Josh Willingham, Ryan Zimmerman, Jayson Werth, Troy Glaus, Joey Votto, Aubrey Huff, and Dan Uggla are just some people who deserve Infante’s spot.
I think that proves my point and by the way, Willingham is a converted outfielder, as is Werth. Glaus used to play third, Uggla could probably handle another infield position, Votto could play outfield in an emergency, and Huff has made his living as a utility player.
Are you convinced yet that Infante does not deserve a trip to Anaheim? Well, if you are not, here are some more reasons.
Infante has only had 165 at bats this season, at least 40 less than any of the Braves’ regulars. Not to mention he only has one home run and 22 RBI.
Compare that to Huff, the one true utility man out of the group of players listed above, who has hit 15 home runs, driven in 47 runs, and is hitting a solid .288 and is an everyday player in San Francisco.
So, now that you have the facts presented to you, members of the jury I ask you, who should be on that National League roster, because it sure as hell isn’t Omar Infante.
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When potential players for Charlie Manuel’s National League club get thrown out into conversation, you will hear the typical Phillies’ candidates, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth and Roy Halladay.
But, one name should be mentioned in the conversation this year and it should be that of Jamie Moyer.
In a year where the Phillies have been mired in a slump, are dealing with injuries and are not hitting well, it is the perfect opportunity for the 47-year old to make his second All-Star Game appearance (he made one with the Mariners in 2003).
Moyer has a chance to be the Phillies’ leader in wins, WHIP and hits allowed before the All-Star break hits. With Roy Halladay on a losing streak, Moyer could have 11 wins, which would at worst tie him with Halladay at the break and with NL hitters finally finding a way to hit Halladay, Moyer could top the ace in wins with starts against the Pirates on Friday and if the rotation holds against a weak-road team in the Braves on Wednesday.
The other reason that Moyer should be on the team is that Charlie Manuel is the NL manager and just like every other Phillies fan, appreciates the effort and continued success that Moyer has had this season.
Plus, the extended rosters now let each manager choose two extra players to make the team a 34-man roster and Moyer does not even need to pitch in the game with the stellar talent that the NL pitching staff would have.
If everything goes right for the NL, Ubaldo Jimenez, Roy Halladay, Adam Wainwright, Mike Pelfrey, Josh Johnson could start the game with Jimenez going two which in an ideal situation would lead to a combination of Billy Wagner, Matt Capps, Luke Gregerson and Arthur Rhodes (all of whom have been effective this season and are capable of holding and then closing a game) could close the game, or you could have Moyer come in between a pair of hard throwing starters and keep the AL hitters off balance.
In any situation, Jamie Moyer deserves to make the National League All-Star team because of what he is doing this season at his age, it would a great tribute to a humble man who has a solid MLB career.
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It is always fun to speculate who will make the once-again expanded All-Star Game roster. Since each team has to have at least one All-Star, here are the 30 who are deserving.
This list includes many young stars of the game who should be showcased to the whole nation, as well as some veterans that you might not expect to see at an All-Star Game.
With his perfect game against the Florida Marlins on Saturday night, Philadelphia Phillies’ pitcher Roy Halladay became the 20th pitcher to throw a perfect game in MLB history.
The question can now be asked, is Halladay the best pitcher to throw a perfect game?
But, after looking at the list of perfect game pitchers, there are some names that start the argument against Halladay.
Of the twenty pitchers, I singled out a few names that are worthy of making the discussion of best pitcher to throw a perfect game.
Cy Young, May 5, 1904
Addie Joss, October 2, 1908
Sandy Koufax, September 9, 1965
Catfish Hunter, May 8, 1968
Randy Johnson, May 18, 2004
Roy Halladay, May 29, 2010
The first four are already Hall of Famers and Johnson and Halladay should join them at the end of their careers.
Joss can be eliminated because of how short his career was. If Joss did not die at 31 from disease, he would have had better numbers and a more illustrious career.
Koufax lost years from his career at the end when he had to retire after only 11 seasons in the big leagues.
Now, the debate really begins.
Cy Young is the best pitcher statiscally in wins but he did play in a different era of baseball when pitchers were the focus of the game.
Hunter can also be thrown into the discussion with a career 224-166 record and over 2,000 strikeouts.
The Big Unit was a dominant force no matter where he landed and his 303 wins and 4,875 strikouts are there to prove how dominant he was.
Then, there is Halladay.
Halladay is now 33 years old with 155 career wins and over 1,500 strikeouts. Beyond the statistics, Halladay was consistently good on a consistently bad team in Toronto for a decade and is now on a winning team in Philadelphia.
Will he reach 300 wins? He just might. At 155 already, he will win at least ten more this season and has had 16 wins in each of the past four seasons.
So, the answer to the question of Who is the best perfect game pitcher is hard to figure out due to the eras that these four played in but Roy Halladay is surely on track to keep the debate going on and on for generations of baseball fans to debate this question.
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